Drink holders or beverage container holders are found throughout the prior art, and particularly holders are found which are suited for use in conjunction with recreational activities.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,263 to Kobylack discloses a Golf Cart Beverage support. The support uses an encircling band or clamp to support a beverage container from a tubular member.
A variety of beverage holders are found for use in nautical environments. Many of these devices comprise an upper plate with an aperture or plurality of apertures arranged therein adapted to receive a beverage container, and a lower plate positioned beneath the aperture or apertures to support the beverage containers. The plates are connected by a side plate extending therebetween which also provides a platform for a clamp or the like used to mount the device to a supporting structure.
Clamps are used to fasten such devices to posts which, for example, comprise two adjacent blocks hinged at one end and secured by a thumb-screw at the other. Each block has an elongated semi-circular depression formed in the face that contacts the opposing block. The depressions are aligned with each other to form a tubular opening extending through the blocks adapted for mounting to a rail or post or the like. The clamp is installed onto the rail by loosening the thumb screw and spreading the blocks apart. The blocks are then closed with the rail fitting into the depressions, and the thumbscrew is tightened.
From the foregoing discussion of the prior art, it is apparent that a need exists for a drink holder which could be easily secured to and removed from a tubular supporting structure.